JP2014034383A - Vehicular pedestrian protection system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To bring a bumper fascia into contact with the lower parts of pedestrian's legs in a case of a collision even if a vehicle has a high approach angle or a relatively high vehicle height, and scoop up the lower parts.SOLUTION: An air-dam skirt 2c to be formed below a bumper fascia is formed like a sack having a backward opening. A rear end of an upper surface 2d of the air-dam skirt 2c is secured by an upper bracket 11d that nearly horizontally extends from a support bracket 6 fixed to a lower frame of a radiator panel, and a rear end of a bottom 2f of the air-dam skirt 2c is secured by a lower bracket 11c that extends forward slightly downward. If a pedestrian's legs collide with a front surface 2e of the air-dam skirt 2c, the lower bracket 11c sags and deforms downward. This causes the bottom 2f of the air-dam skirt 2c to deform below a vehicle body and come into contact with the whole of the lower sides of the legs over a wide area..

Description

  The present invention relates to a pedestrian protection device for a vehicle that is provided at a lower part of a front bumper and protects a pedestrian's leg by self-deformation when a pedestrian's leg collides.

  When a pedestrian collides with the front of a traveling vehicle, in many cases, first, the leg of the pedestrian first contacts the lower part of the front bumper. For this reason, various techniques have been proposed in which an impact absorbing member is disposed below the front bumper to reduce the collision energy applied to the pedestrian's legs and protect the legs.

  For example, in Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-297726), an impact absorbing member is attached to the front portion of the vehicle and in front of the bumper beam, and a vehicle body longitudinal section is provided below the impact absorbing member. When a hexagonal lower reinforcement member is attached and the front part of the vehicle collides with a pedestrian's leg, the lower reinforcement member is deformed into a trumpet shape, and the remaining crushing tip of the lower reinforcement member is not crushed by the shock absorbing member. A technique is disclosed that is positioned in front of the vehicle from the tip.

  According to the technique disclosed in this document, by deforming the lower reinforcing member up and down in a trumpet shape, the legs of the pedestrian can be received over a wide area and the load can be distributed. Furthermore, by positioning the remaining crushing tip of the lower reinforcing member at the front of the vehicle with respect to the crushing remaining tip of the shock absorbing member, the leg at the time of collision can be scooped up and the pedestrian can ride on the front hood. .

JP 2005-297726 A

  By the way, to make sure that the pedestrian rides on the front hood at the time of collision, it is desirable to scoop up the lower part of the leg part as much as possible, and in order to receive the lower part of the leg part with the lower reinforcing member, It is necessary to lower the mounting position of the lower reinforcing member.

  However, if the mounting position of the lower reinforcing member is lowered, the approach angle becomes smaller, the bad road running performance is deteriorated, and there is an inconvenience that it is easy to come in contact with the parking stop block for parking.

  Also, in vehicles with a minimum ground clearance such as SUV, the front bumper is installed at a relatively high position, so it is difficult to set the lower reinforcing member at a low position, and there is a problem of poor versatility. is there.

  In view of the above circumstances, the present invention is capable of scooping up even when a vehicle with a large approach angle or a vehicle with a minimum ground clearance is brought into contact with the lower side of the pedestrian's leg at the time of collision, and has high versatility. An object is to provide a vehicle pedestrian protection device that can be obtained.

  The present invention includes a bumper reinforcement disposed along a vehicle width direction at a front portion of a vehicle body, a support bracket for fixing a rear portion to the bumper reinforcement, and a front portion of the support bracket. In the pedestrian protection device for a vehicle, wherein the bumper fascia is deformed and absorbs collision energy at the time of a collision with a pedestrian, the upper part where the support bracket extends substantially horizontally forward Having a bracket part and a lower bracket part extending obliquely downward and forward, the bumper fascia is formed in a bag shape opening the rear part, and the upper rear end part of the bumper fascia is fixed to the upper bracket part, The bottom rear end portion is fixed to the lower bracket portion to form a closed cross section.

  According to the present invention, the lower bracket portion of the support bracket extends obliquely forward and downward, and the bottom rear end of the bumper fascia is fixed to the lower bracket portion, so that the pedestrian's leg collides with the bumper fascia. In this case, a downward moment load is applied to the lower bracket part via this bumper fascia, and the bottom bracket part deforms downward to deform the bottom surface of the bumper fascia, so the approach angle Even if the vehicle is large or the vehicle has a minimum ground clearance, the bumper fascia can be scooped up by contacting the lower part of the leg of the pedestrian, and high versatility can be obtained.

1 is a schematic cross-sectional side view of a front portion of a vehicle body according to a first embodiment. The exploded perspective view which shows the joining state of the air dam of a bumper fascia, and a support bracket Same sectional side view showing deformation state of air dam and support bracket of bumper fascia at the time of collision Schematic cross-sectional side view of the front part of the vehicle body according to the second embodiment Partial perspective view of the support bracket Schematic cross-sectional side view of the front part of the vehicle body according to the third embodiment Partial perspective view of the support bracket Same sectional side view showing deformation state of air dam and support bracket of bumper fascia at the time of collision

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[First Embodiment]
1 to 3 show a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 shows a front part of a vehicle body, and a front bumper 1 is disposed at the front end of the front part of the vehicle body. The front bumper 1 includes a bumper fascia 2, a bumper beam 3, an impact absorbing member 4, and the like.

  The bumper fascia 2 is made of a synthetic resin such as polypropylene and functions as a part of the shaping of the front end surface of the vehicle body, and the upper part thereof is fixed to an upper frame that constitutes a radiator panel (not shown). Further, a front grille 5 is attached to the upper part of the bumper fascia 2.

  The bumper beam 3 extends horizontally in the vehicle width direction while facing the rear of the main bumper portion 2a provided on the bumper fascia 2, and both end sides of a pair of front side frames (not shown). It is fixed at the front end. Further, an impact absorbing member 4 is interposed between the main bumper portion 2 a and the bumper beam 3. The impact absorbing member 4 is made of a foamed material such as polyurethane foam or polypropylene foam, and the foaming rate is set to be relatively high. By setting the foaming rate of the impact absorbing member 4 high, when the front surface of the bumper fascia 2 collides with the pedestrian's leg, the impact absorbing member 4 is plastically deformed and the impact applied to the pedestrian's leg is absorbed. Is done.

  Further, a lower outside air inlet 2b is opened at the lower part of the main bumper part 2a of the bumper fascia 2, and further, an air dam 2c for rectifying the air flow in the lower part of the front during traveling is formed at the lower part. The main bumper portion 2a and the air dam 2c protrude forward by substantially the same amount in a plan view, and are curved in an arcuate shape from the center to the left and right obliquely rearward in the vehicle width direction. Furthermore, the lower end of the bumper fascia 2 is fixed to a support bracket 6 described later.

  Although not shown, an engine room is formed behind the front bumper 1, a radiator fixed to the radiator panel is disposed in front of the engine room, and the front bumper 1 is disposed in front of the radiator. It is arranged. Further, a condenser of an air conditioner is provided in the radiator, and outside air introduced from the lower outside air inlet 2b is introduced into the condenser and cooled.

  The air dam 2c described above forms a part of the bumper fascia 2 and is formed in a bag shape opened rearward in a cross-sectional side view, and includes an upper surface 2d that forms the lower surface of the lower outside air inlet 2b, a front surface 2e, and a bottom surface 2f. And are continuously formed integrally. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, a projecting piece portion 2g engaged with a support bracket 6 described later is formed at the rear end portion of the upper surface 2d so as to protrude at a predetermined interval in the vehicle width direction.

  On the other hand, reference numeral 10 in FIG. 1 denotes the above-described lower frame of the radiator panel, which is a member corresponding to the bumper reinforcement of the present invention. A support bracket 6 is fixed to the lower frame 10. The support bracket 6 is made of a synthetic resin made of polypropylene or the like, and is connected to the opening of the air dam 2c. The support bracket 6 is connected to the trapezoidal bracket main body 11 in a cross-sectional side view and the bottom 2f of the lower outside air inlet 2b. It has the wind guide part 12 as a support part extended continuously back and diagonally upward.

  The bracket main body 11 extends forward with a portion corresponding to the lower base of the trapezoid opened, and a contact surface 11a corresponding to the rear is in contact with the front surface of the lower frame 10, and this contact surface. A flange portion 11 b extending rearward from the lower portion of 11 a is brought into contact with the bottom surface of the lower frame 10 and fastened with bolts and nuts 13. Further, a lower bracket portion 11c corresponding to a trapezoidal right leg extends obliquely downward and forward from the lower end of the contact surface 11a. On the other hand, an upper bracket portion 11d corresponding to a trapezoidal left leg extends substantially horizontally forward from the upper end of the contact surface 11a.

  A flange portion 11e is formed at the front end of the lower bracket portion 11c, and the flange portion 11e and the rear end portion of the bottom surface 2f of the air dam 2c are brought into contact with each other with the front end portion of the under cover 14 interposed therebetween, and are fixed by the clip 7. ing. The under cover 14 covers the bottom surface of the engine room, and its rear end is fixed to a suspension cross member (not shown) or the like that supports the front suspension. The under cover 14 is made of a synthetic resin, and is deformed by receiving a pressing load in the front-rear direction.

  On the other hand, the front end portion of the upper bracket portion 11 d and the front end portion of the air guide portion 12 are integrally formed continuously via the grip portion 15. As shown in FIG. 2, the grip portion 15 is formed in a concave shape in the rear side view in a cross-sectional side view, and a projecting piece portion 2g formed at the rear end of the upper surface 2d of the air dam 2c is engaged with the bottom portion. A hole 15a is formed at a position corresponding to the protruding piece 2g. The height of the grip portion 15 is the same as or slightly wider than the thickness of the rear end of the upper surface 2d. When the projecting piece portion 2g is engaged with the hole portion 15a and attached, The rear end of 2d is set so as to be held without generating backlash. Since the rear end portion of the upper surface 2d is fixed to the support bracket 6, the bumper fascia 2 can be attached from the front after the support bracket 6 is attached to the lower frame 10. Can be made more efficient.

  Further, a contact flange portion 12 a is bent at the rear end of the air guide portion 12, and the contact flange portion 12 a is formed on the receiving flange portion 10 a formed on the upper portion of the lower frame 10 with bolts and nuts 13. It is concluded. When the support bracket 6 is attached to the lower frame 10, the upper bracket portion 11d, the air guide portion 12, and the lower frame 10 form a truss-shaped substantially box structure. Some tolerance is obtained.

  Next, the operation of the present embodiment having such a configuration will be described. When the front part of the vehicle body collides with a pedestrian's leg part, this leg part first comes into contact with the main bumper part 2a provided on the bumper fascia 2 of the front bumper 1 and the air dam 2c. Then, the impact absorbing member 4 disposed at the rear portion of the main bumper portion 2a is plastically deformed, and the impact applied to the leg portion of the pedestrian is absorbed.

  On the other hand, when the lower part of the leg part comes into contact with the air dam 2c located below the main bumper part 2a, it is crushed so as to be compressed rearward while receiving the collision load F at that time and being bent in the vertical direction, thereby buffering the impact. To do. At that time, the rear end of the upper surface 2d of the air dam 2c is held at the upper portion of the support bracket 6 having a truss-type substantially box structure, while the bottom surface 2f is the tip of the lower bracket portion 11c extending from the lower frame 10 side. It is connected to. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3, the air guide portion 12 and the upper bracket portion 11d that support the upper surface 2d of the air dam 2c are not greatly deformed, while a relatively large moment load acts on the lower bracket portion 11c, It is bent and deformed downward in the vehicle body.

  As a result, the air dam 2c is greatly deformed downward, and accordingly, the area of contact with the lower side of the pedestrian's leg is widened, and the impact load is not concentrated on the leg and is evenly distributed. The amount (impact energy absorption amount) can be increased, and the legs can be protected from damage.

  In addition, since the tip of the under cover 14 is held together with the lower bracket portion 11c at the rear end portion of the bottom surface 2f, the under cover 14 is also bent and deformed, so that the under cover 14 and the lower bracket portion 11c The repulsion due to the bending deformation is applied to the lower side of the leg as a reaction force. As a result, the lower side of the leg can be scooped up favorably by this reaction force.

  Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the air dam 2c is greatly bent downward at the time of a collision, so that even a vehicle with a high minimum ground clearance or a vehicle with a large approach angle contacts the lower side of the pedestrian's legs. Can be scooped up. Therefore, it can be widely applied to different vehicle types, and high versatility can be obtained.

[Second Embodiment]
4 and 5 show a second embodiment of the present invention. The present embodiment is a modification of the above-described first embodiment, in which cooling air is taken into the engine room from the air dam 2c. In addition, about the same component as 1st Embodiment, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected and description is simplified.

  As described above, since the closed cross section formed by the air dam 2c and the bracket main body 11 is a cavity, the air taken in from the front surface 2e of the air dam 2c is relatively easily guided to the engine room through the closed cross section. be able to.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, the air guide port 2h is formed in the front surface 2e of the air dam 2c, and the reverse groove-shaped air guide duct portion 11f that covers the air guide port 2h is projected forward in the lower bracket portion 11c of the support bracket 6. It is formed in a state of being let.

  In such a configuration, when the vehicle travels, outside air is introduced from the air guide port 2h of the air dam 2c, is guided by the air guide duct portion 11f, and flows out to the back surface of the lower bracket portion 11c. Since the front end portion of the under cover 14 is connected to the rear end of the bottom surface 2f of the air dam 2c, the outside air flowing out from the back surface of the lower bracket portion 11c is guided to the engine room along the under cover 14. .

  As a result, the lower parts (oil pan, turbocharger, etc.) of the engine disposed in the engine room can be efficiently cooled by the outside air. In addition, since the action at the time of the collision is the same as that of the first embodiment described above, the description is omitted.

[Third Embodiment]
6 to 8 show a third embodiment of the present invention. In multi-purpose vehicles such as SUV (Sport Utility Vehicle) and RV (recreational vehicle), which have a relatively large approach angle or a relatively high vehicle height, a bumper cannot be provided at a low ground level. The pedestrian's leg (near the thigh) is received only at a height corresponding to the main bumper 2a shown in the first embodiment. For this reason, the lower side of the leg portion easily enters the vehicle side during a collision.

  In this embodiment, when the leg part of a pedestrian collides with a bumper fascia, this bumper fascia is greatly deformed downward so that the lower part side of the leg part can be protected. In addition, about the same component as 1st Embodiment, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected and description is simplified.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the front bumper 1 ′ according to the present embodiment includes a bumper beam 27 as a bumper reinforcement, a support bracket 26 fixed to the bumper beam 27, and a bumper fascia 28 fixed to the support bracket 26. Have. As with the bumper beam 3 of the first embodiment, both end sides of the bumper beam 27 are fixed to the front ends of a pair of front side frames (not shown).

  Further, the support bracket 26 is made of a synthetic resin such as polypropylene and is formed in a substantially U-shape in which the front is provided in a side view in cross section. A contact surface 26 a that contacts the receiving surface 27 a of the bumper beam 27 is formed at the rear portion of the support bracket 26, and is fixed by bolts and nuts 13. Further, a latching surface 26b is formed at a position retracted by a predetermined distance L from the lower end of the contact surface 26a of the support bracket 26, and the latching surface 26b is latched on the support surface 27b formed on the bumper beam 27. Has been.

  A lower bracket portion 26c extends obliquely downward and forward from the lower end of the retaining surface 26b of the support bracket 26, and a flange portion 26e is formed at the tip of the lower bracket portion 26c. Further, as shown in FIG. 7, reverse groove-shaped fascia support arms 26f are formed at predetermined intervals in the vehicle width direction from the lower bracket portion 26c to the flange portion 26e. The front end portion of each fascia support arm 26f protrudes forward from the flange portion 26e and is engaged with a latching flange 28d as a locking portion of a bumper facer 28 described later.

  Further, an upper bracket portion 26d extends substantially horizontally from the upper end of the contact surface 26a of the support bracket 26 to the front, and a grip portion 15 for holding a projecting piece portion 28b of a bumper fascia 28, which will be described later, is provided at the tip thereof. Is formed. The grip portion 15 is formed at the lower portion of the front grill 5 and is formed integrally with the front grill 5.

  On the other hand, the bumper fascia 28 is made of a synthetic resin material such as polypropylene, as in the first embodiment, and the front surface 28 a faces the front of the bumper beam 27. Further, a projecting piece portion 28 b that engages with the grip portion 15 formed on the support bracket 26 is formed on the upper surface side continuous with the front surface 28 a. In addition, this protrusion piece part 28b is formed in the upper end part of the bumper fascia 28 for every predetermined space | interval similarly to the protrusion piece part 2g of 1st Embodiment.

  Further, the bottom surface 28c of the bumper fascia 28 extends obliquely downward and rearward substantially along a preset approach angle, and the rear end and the flange portion 26e of the support bracket 26 sandwich the front end of the under cover 14. It is fixed by the clip 7 in a state sandwiched between the two. Accordingly, the support bracket 26 and the bumper fascia 28 form a closed cross section.

  A latching flange 28d is formed on the inner surface of the bumper fascia 28 so as to protrude rearward. The latching flange 28d is latched in a state where it rides on the tip of a fascia support arm 26f formed on the support bracket 26. ing.

  As described above, the support bracket 26 has the rear end of the lower bracket portion 26c extended from the latching surface 26b that is retracted by the predetermined distance L from the contact surface 26a, and further forward of the flange portion 26e. The tip of the protruding facer support arm 26f is hooked to a hooking flange 28d that protrudes from the inner surface of the bumper facer 28. Therefore, it is possible to ensure a relatively long distance from the base end of the lower bracket portion 26c to the tip of the facer support arm 26f.

  In such a configuration, as shown in FIG. 6, when a pedestrian's leg collides with the front surface 28 a of the bumper fascia 28, the upper bracket portion 26 d of the support bracket 26 is pushed backward by the collision load F at that time. To bend and deform. On the other hand, a downward moment load is applied from the latching flange 28d of the bumper fascia 28 to the tip of the fascia support arm 26f extending forward from the lower bracket portion 26c, and the lower bracket portion 26c bends downward. The under cover 14 is bent and deformed while being deformed.

  Then, the entire bumper fascia 28 moves backward. At the same time, since the distance from the base end of the lower bracket portion 26c to the tip of the facer support arm 26f is relatively long, as shown in FIG. 8, the bottom surface 28c side is greatly deformed downward while being supported by the facer support arm 26f. Is done.

  As a result, the bumper fascia 28 has a larger area in contact with the lower side of the leg portion of the pedestrian, and the shock load is not concentrated on the upper side of the leg portion and is evenly distributed, and the EA amount can be increased accordingly. it can. Further, since the bumper fascia 28 is greatly deformed downward, it acts on the lower bracket portion 26c and the under cover 14 even in a vehicle having a relatively large approach angle or a relatively high vehicle height such as a multipurpose vehicle. The reaction force can scoop up the lower part of the leg of the pedestrian well.

1 ... Front bumper,
2,28 ... Bumper Faisha,
2c ... Air dam,
2d ... top surface,
2e, 28a ... front side,
2f, 28c ... bottom surface,
3, 27 ... Bumper beam,
6, 26 ... support bracket,
10 ... Lower frame,
11 ... Bracket body,
11a, 26a ... contact surface,
11c, 26c ... lower bracket part,
11d, 26d ... upper bracket part,
12 ... The wind guide part,
14 ... undercover,
15 ...
26f ... Faisha support arm,
27a ... receiving surface,
27b ... support surface,
F ... Collision load,
L ... Predetermined distance

Claims (6)

A bumper reinforcement disposed along the vehicle width direction at the front of the vehicle body,
A support bracket for fixing a rear portion to the bumper reinforcement;
In the pedestrian protection device for vehicles having a bumper fascia fixed to the front part of the support bracket, the bumper fascia deforms and absorbs collision energy in the event of a collision with a pedestrian,
The support bracket has an upper bracket portion extending substantially horizontally forward and a lower bracket portion extending obliquely downward forward;
The bumper fascia is formed in a bag shape having an opening at the rear, the upper rear end of the bumper fascia is fixed to the upper bracket, and the rear rear end is fixed to the lower bracket to form a closed section. A pedestrian protection device for a vehicle. The vehicle pedestrian according to claim 1, wherein a front end portion of an under cover that covers a bottom surface of an engine room is fixed to a fixed portion between the lower bracket and the rear end portion of the bottom surface of the bumper fascia. Protective device. A support portion extends obliquely rearward and upward from a tip portion of the upper bracket portion that supports the rear end portion of the upper surface of the bumper fascia, and the support portion and the upper bracket are fixed to the bumper reinforcement to provide a truss. The vehicular pedestrian protection device according to claim 1, wherein a substantially box structure of a mold is formed. The pedestrian protection device for a vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the support portion is continuous with the upper surface of the bumper fascia to form a wind guide portion of an air dam. A fascia support arm that protrudes forward from the front end of the lower bracket part is formed on the lower bracket part, and a tip part of the fascia support arm is hooked on a locking part formed on the inner surface of the bumper fascia. The pedestrian protection device for a vehicle according to claim 1 or 2, wherein 6. The vehicle pedestrian protection device according to claim 5, wherein a rear end portion of the lower bracket portion is supported by a rear portion of the bumper reinforcement.

Images